I am the mother of 3 and I absolutely love the holiday season. I love the lights, the music, the parties, the food… and watching the faces of my little ones as they take it all in! But the thing that I love most about the holidays is the spirit of giving that seems more apparent around this time of the year than at any other. There are just so many opportunities to give back and help one another.

I recently read an article about teaching kids the spirit of giving and was intrigued by the author’s suggestions… simple things that I had just not thought of as a way to pass along the spirit of giving to my children.

As I looked through the suggestions a second time I realized that they are also ideal for instilling the spirit of giving into your blood donors, not just at the holidays, but all year long! So I have revised her suggestions slightly to give you some reminders for encouraging that giving spirit in your donors.

#1: Acknowledge what they already do – Just remind donors that their previous donations are evidence of the spirit of giving they already have. Their tendency to give in response to your requests for donors at specific times of the year is an example of that spirit in action. Spotlighting previous donations and specific opportunities they have responded to allows donors to see their giving spirit in a new light. In fact, donors will likely be so happy to discover they already make such a big difference; the motivation to give more often will quickly surface.

#2: Give them a choice – Donors will be more likely to adopt even more of a giving spirit, when they are able to choose when they would like to give. I know at least one blood center that is specifically encouraging donors to select 4 holidays throughout the year around which to donate. Donors who donate during a specified holiday period will receive a Holiday Hero lapel pin to acknowledge their spirit of giving. At the end of the year, all donors who have received at least 4 of these holiday lapel pins will be recognized as a Holiday Hero. What a great way to encourage holiday spirit all year long and the donors have multiple opportunities that allow them to choose when they want to donate!

#3: Make giving a family affair – Making information about your high school program and/or details about the minimum donation age in your state available to all donors is a great way to remind parents to encourage children to follow in their footsteps and donate when they are old enough. Another way to make it a family affair is to host family and friend days at your blood center encouraging regular donors to bring family members in to donate as well. And many donor centers have educational coloring books and or color-your-own-tumblers available for younger children to introduce them to the importance of giving blood too.

#4: Incorporate giving into their regular schedule – When it comes to giving donors an opportunity to give on a regular basis, the options are unlimited. The Holiday Hero program mentioned above, a Four Seasons program, quarterly Hero Trax for platelet donors or giving whole blood donors one of our 56 day countdown timers so they know exactly when they are eligible to give again are all good ideas. Design all of your “frequent donor” programs so that donors can participate whether they give at mobile drive or in center have the opportunity to participate. Whatever you do to encourage frequent donations, weave a lot of fun into so that donors what to keep coming back.

#5: Give and receive – Often, donors go through the motions of giving blood without fully understanding why they are doing it. Take the time to spotlight how the giving process was received. Share the stories of families and individuals who benefited from donated blood. Show photos of the smiles from those who have been given another birthday because someone donated the blood they needed to live. Find specific examples to show them how their donation positively impacts others.

As you enjoy the holiday season, consider how you might incorporate these ideas to create that spirit of giving in your donors all year long.

Plush is popular this time of year (and all year ‘round for that matter)!

Several blood centers use plush bears, puppies and even blood drops as part of holiday campaigns during which they deliver the plush animals to patients in local children’s hospitals. Donors are often encouraged to sign a card to accompany the stuffed animals and thus are able to make a real connection to how important their donation really is!

Embroidered with BLOOD HOUND across their bellies, plush dogs are a great way to thank sponsors and coordinators for their unique role in the blood program. Simply pair this plush blood hound with a thank you card as a gift for these special volunteers at the holidays or at your annual recognition event.

Several of our clients also use the plush blood hounds to target blood drive sponsors for increased drive frequency in a high-energy direct mail campaign. The Blood Hound Campaign sends a plush blood hound, an awareness card and a blood center CEO letter to key donor groups asking a lifesaving question in a fun way… “Will you host one additional blood drive this year?” Our blood hounds are available with an awareness card which can be customized with your logo and campaign message. All you’ll need to add is your CEO’s letter and postage. It’s a great campaign to launch at the beginning of a new year and sets your recruiters up for success!

Plush blood drops are always a hit in elementary schools as part of educational programs. The students get an introduction to the importance of blood and then participate in recruiting adults to donate. Taking home one of these blood drops in a great reminder to them and their parents long after that blood drive is over.

Call us for more ways to strategically position plush to increase awareness, collect more blood and show your gratitude!

For many blood centers, more than half of first-time donors never give again. If you find yourself in that category, why not consider using a First Time Donor Kit to convert your new acquaintances into lifelong friends?

What does a kit do?

• Thanks the donors profusely.
• Welcomes them to an elite club.
• Includes a token of your appreciation.
• Tells them why this donation is important and how it will help patients in need.
• Asks them for their feedback by sending them to a website to answer a few questions. New people like to be polled. This adds to their sense of participation. By asking for their advice, you’re expressing interest in them.
• Educates them about the need for regular blood donations.
• Includes next steps to get them integrated into a donation cycle that is practical for them.
• Works as an on-site thank you at the time of donation OR as an additional touchpoint that the new donor receives in the mail about a week after their first donation. Test both ways to see what works best for you.

First Time Donor Kits are key to getting donors to return again and again. By educating donors about the real need for their blood donation and integrating them into a donation schedule that is ideal for them, First Time Donor Kits set you up for success when it comes to building and sustaining relationships with these donors. Donor Kits can also help you to advance donors to frequent, altruistic donation while preparing them for conversion to collection technologies that optimize their gift to the community.

Year after year, some of our best blood center clients plan their way to an “appeal free” holiday season!

Run a donor query for the zip codes surrounding all donor centers and community blood drives that asks the following questions…
1. Who will be eligible to give whole blood by December 1?
2. Who has already given in one of those locations 2 or more times this year?

For that group, do a high-impact direct mailing. The centerpiece of the mailing is a letter from the CEO which carries a simple, powerful message… “You are one of our best donors. If you will give one more time in early December, you will help prevent a holiday blood shortage. To thank you for your holiday gift to the community, our staff will present you with our Limited Edition Holiday Ornament, as pictured below.”

This simple promotion not only bolsters your blood supply for the holidays – it boosts your annual donor frequency numbers by getting your best donors to pop-in before year end!

Do you want your platelet donors to give like clockwork? Maybe once a month, every month? Then just ask!

We worked with one blood center in Alabama to develop a Platelet Donor of the Month Club that they called Apheresis All-Stars. Donors were asked to commit to donating platelets once every month for 12 months. Once they made the commitment, the donors received a thank you mailer which included a pack of gum with 12 pieces (of course) along with the message, “Thanks for sticking with us.”

It proved to be a lighthearted way to express appreciation for their all-star commitment to 12 donations.

What are you doing to show your apheresis donors how much you appreciate their commitment?

UAB Medicine launched an online employee donor program in conjunction with the addition of their new, high-tech donor room in 2007 with the goal of becoming self-sufficient in supporting its own blood needs. Phase II of the UAB Touchpoints Program kicked off this month!

Increasing employee donations at UAB was simple – engaging employees with an online program that clearly communicated the need for employee donations, provided a link to schedule appointments in the new donor room and automatically tracked donations and points earned by each employee donor.

Customized features of the website made getting involved easy and fun for the employees too:

• Quick and easy registration page
• Personal profile pages where donation dates can be entered by the donor
• Points accumulate automatically each time a new donation is entered
• Reminders of when they are eligible to donate again
• Tally of how many more points/donations are needed to qualify for the grand prize
• Tab featuring photos and descriptions of gifts and how many points are needed to qualify for each online gift redemption
• Much more…

But also important is the clean web design that enhances the usability and carries the sites visitors effortlessly through the website. You can view their website by visiting www.UABTouchPoints.org.  Or call me to find out how easy it is to engage your employee donors online.

Most blood donors are do-gooders at heart, and many marketing teams and recruitment directors are appealing to that part of their nature by gifting them with Eco-friendly products like our recyclable shopping tote. Donors leave the blood center or mobile drive after a donation not only feeling good about donating blood but also armed with a way to continue making a difference.

These imprinted shopping totes are also a highly-visible way to showcase your center’s logo. The totes literally become walking billboards as donors carry them beyond the home or office, taking the Recycle Life message with them.

As you consider how to thank your donors for giving the gift of life, consider this proven product from Omnisource and let them carry away a gift that both of you can feel good about!

High School blood drives net more donors when students help choose the T-Shirt they will receive at blood drives next semester.

Several of our clients are engaging students this summer, through an eWorkshop for High School donors. Students who took our Student Donor Survey last spring are Emailed an invitation this summer to go online and vote for the blood center’s Fall High School T-Shirt design.

It’s a positive touch point with student donors this summer. It keeps them mindful of their identity as a blood donor, without asking them for anything but their opinion!

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